[TheForge] first aid kits/supplies?

[terry l. ridder]

hello bruce;


On Sun, 17 May 2009, Bruce Freeman wrote:

> Terry,
>
> The Red Cross is a good source for first aid kits and information:
> http://www.redcrossstore.org/shopper/ProdList.aspx?LocationId=2
> If you click on a kit, it will provide a list of items that kit contains.
>
> In my opinion, one flaw to most first aid kits is that they are hard
> to open.  I work alone.  I need to be able to open a kit and get out
> gauze pads and gauze roll - or adhesive tape - (to staunch blood flow)
> ONE-HANDED.  Those two items at least should be in an easy-to-open
> container.  Mine are in my bathroom medicine chest.
>

this is an issue with most of the first aid kits on the market that
they are hard to open. this is extremely odd since when the first aid
kit is needed you would think that it would be easy to open.

>
> I probably don't have to tell you this, but having each person's
> doctor(s), nurses, or other caregivers make suggestions as to what
> they'd want in a kit might be very helpful.  You might even keep a
> small supply of Rx drugs for each person - especially things like
> epinephrine, asthma inhalers, and nitroglycerin, which, if needed, are
> needed in a hurry.  Share information between yourselves as to
> conditions or complications, like use of blood thinners.  Better yet,
> wear a neck tag (NOT a wrist tag in the shop) listing all such things.
> That way when a problem occurs, anyone present will know the possible
> complications involved.
>

so far everyone who will be using the shop has made a list of the items
that their primary care doctor has said that they should have on hand in
case of an emergency. one of the trauma nurses at edward hine jr. v.a.
hospital is helping us put together the supplies in an easy open 'crash'
bag.

>
> Do not get an AED unless at least two, preferably more, of you are
> trained in its use.  They're easy to use, but if used wrong can kill.
> Remember too that older people with heart conditions can be saved
> using CPR,
>

this is where the problem arises. nearly everyone that will be using the
shop has at least one arm that has been injured and therefore none of us
are able to perform cpr properly.

> BUT it can be hard work for the rescuers because
> compression and rescue breathing may have to be continued until
> professionals arrive to take over.  (If you stop, he dies.  An older
> person's heart may not restart with an AED.)  The effort involved in
> administering chest compressions can be hard enough that the rescuer,
> if not himself in good shape, might also need a trip to the ER.*  The
> right technique for administering chest compressions can make a big
> difference in how much work it is, so training is essential.
>

training is not the issue in our case. our case is that even if someone
was trained in cpr no one is able to perform cpr because of prior
injuries to at least one arm. i have not seen any documentation on
performing cpr with one arm.

>
> Furthermore, if any of your number has osteoporosis or other such
> debilitating conditions that leave the body frail, be SURE that he
> WANTS to be resuscitated before doing chest compression.   When bones
> are brittle, chest compression can shatter ribs leading to painful
> lung injuries.  The person may survive the experience only to be in so
> much long-term pain as to wish he had died.  Clearly this is an
> individual choice, and, obviously, this you must establish this before
> there's a crisis.
>

this is all ready been discussed with nearly everyone. basically, there
are several of us who have choosen the do not resuscitate, or DNR,
orders. i personally wonder about the doctors who put me back together
from the hesd-on-collision. did they bother to think about what my
quality of life would be after they played 'god' and saved my sorry
life? i really resent the one doctor at the aurora illinois v.a. community
based outpatient center, who says that i should be thankful to be alive.
the last time i saw him i told him that he is an ass. living on morphine
for pain the rest of my life, injecting lovenox into my stomach skin
every 12 hours and in general being tied to medicine bottles the rest of
my life is absolutely not any fun. given the nerve and blood vessel
damage that cannot be repaired i have absolutely no sense of feeling
anywhere below the waste. i have no sense of touch below the waist. that
causes problems and creates issues that affect more than just me.

there have been times that i do think it would have been better to have
been killed out-right instead of being put back together by a bunch of
doctors playing 'god'.

>
> (*Okay, so they have an AED.  Why not a chest-compression machine to
> administer chest compressions automatically?  Probably couldn't be
> battery operated for long, but it couldn't be much more complicated
> than an AED.)
>
> Along these lines, you may want to consider equipping machinery with
> extra guards, or to instill in everybody certain extra safeguards in
> machine use.  (E.g.: Don't work alone.  Power down between uses.
> Dismount blades and bits after use, or install a guard to prevent
> contact.  Etc.)  I have a bad habit of moving lathe and tailstock
> tooling out of the way when I don't need it now but expect to soon.
> I've nicked myself a few times as a result simply due to clumsiness.
> Fortunately, this is no big deal to me.  But procedures or mechanical
> guards that help prevent such injuries in the first place might be
> more important than the supplies in the first aid kit.
>
> Kinda off the subject, but if anyone is allergic to insect stings,
> it's nice to know that spraying DEET around a door edge and frame will
> go far to keep insects out of the house or shop.  I do this all the
> time when I spend time in a cabin with mosquitoes hanging around
> waiting to come in.  It works on bees and wasps too.  Nicer than
> having to go around wearing the stuff all the time.
>
> It's late.  My mind's wandering.
>

my mind wanders even when it is not late. someday it will wander away
and never come back. ;-)

>
> On Sat, May 16, 2009 at 4:21 PM, terry l. ridder <terrylr at blauedonau.com> wrote:
>> hello;
>>
>>
>> i am putting together a first aid kit for the new shop and my first aid
>> kit is looking more like a field hospital triage kit. part of that is
>> just because of the disabilities that the people who will be using the
>> shop all ready have. you are just not treating a cut off digit (whether
>> it be finger or toe) you are treating excessive blood lose due to
>> anti-coagulates the person is taking.
>>
>> what do others stock in their first aid kits? was thinking that i should
>> order an automated external defibrillator or AED. what are your thoughts
>> on having an aed in the shop space?
>>
>>
>> --
>> terry l. ridder ><>

-- 
terry l. ridder ><>